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Post by mikecubs on Apr 23, 2019 9:18:03 GMT -6
KeyArena project to cost at least $900 million; completion expected in summer 2021Ken Johnsen, a construction executive with the Oak View Group slated to bring NHL hockey to Seattle, guided local media through what is very much now an active construction site. Excavators were all around KeyArena. Window glasses had been taken out from the exterior, and dirt and rubble were as common all-round as rain is to the city. One glance up toward the ceiling inside the under-construction arena and one could see the signature, iconic rooftop very much in tact. Look anywhere below that? It's a massive work of progress. This transformative, privately-funded project is way more expansive than what may meet the eye from outside. "Many people still think this is a renovation," NHL Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke explained in a formal press conference. "It's not a renovation. We're maintaining a historic roof ,but this is a brand-new building under that historic roof." Local media on Tuesday were given the first public tour of the work being done on the ground of the KeyArena project -- what will house the new NHL team in two years, along with the WNBA's Seattle Storm; And maybe one day, too, bring the Sonics back to Seattle. Leiweke said the expected cost of the project is now "north of $900 million," with the cap around $930 million. T he project was initially believed to cost around $600 million with a completion date of October 2020. The new target is the early part of summer in 2021, around the time the Storm will begin their '21 season. The fall 2021 expected debut for the hockey team won't be impacted, Leiweke confirmed.He added that the construction company tasked with the project, Mortenson, is "financially-incentivized" to hit the summer 2021 deadline. "The project is definitely costing more than we thought and it's taking a little bit longer, but it is with great satisfaction that we're here today saying we're ready to go," Leiweke said. "We're building something special. "To be leading a project like this, in this community, at this time, with the dream of having NHL hockey and world-class music events and someday the NBA, it's worth it." Johnsen said the group will have a more exact date for completion in about the year. From now until early 2020, he explained, the base of the arena will be the focus -- digging and working on the underground utilities. Mortenson will be excavating 600,000 cubic yards down to lay the foundation for the subterranean stadium. The goal is to create a bowl-shaped arena, with the belief being that it would maximize the sense of intimacy in the fan experience. People will be walking down to most of the seats in the stadium, as opposed to walking up to. For NHL games, the new arena will sit around 17,300 fans. There will be also several built-in concession areas where fans can still easily watch the game action. "Everyone (on the NHL Seattle team) knows we're building what we believe -- and I believe this -- the best arena in the country," Johnsen said. Leiweke praised all those that have helped the project, inside and outside the NHL Seattle group, officially get to the point of construction. "This project has taken courage from day 1," Leiweke said. "Most people actually thought this arena was dead. If that was the case, than Seattle Center had a significant issue of what to do. So from Day 1 for this project, the common denominator was courage -- courage of architects to say, 'no, it could work,' courage of the engineers, courage from the city to enter in a public-private partnership, courage of the owners to fund. "We've hit a really important moment here of getting the GNP done and now really getting under way. When you see this building get commissioned as it is, and then think that in two years we're going to be standing in one of the finest facilities in all of North America, the wait was worth it." www.seattlepi.com/sports/more/article/KeyArena-project-to-cost-at-least-900-million-13779519.php
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Post by mikecubs on Apr 23, 2019 9:55:31 GMT -6
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Post by ekjet72 on Apr 23, 2019 19:21:46 GMT -6
While the arena being proposed in Calgary will be new it's headlines like this that scare tax payers. It starts at $700M and before the place is opened it's a smooth $1B. It sure scares me. Maybe right out of town.
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Post by mikecubs on Apr 23, 2019 22:43:01 GMT -6
While the arena being proposed in Calgary will be new it's headlines like this that scare tax payers. It starts at $700M and before the place is opened it's a smooth $1B. It sure scares me. Maybe right out of town. The price of the Calgary arena will be $600M. What Seattle is doing is way more expensive because of holding the roof up during construction and having to dig down so deep(this has never been done before). Did you know the technology to dig down that deep only became only available 5 years ago? Seattle is NOT a traditional arena build so that's why they are so far off on costs. At least Seattle's arena is 100% privately financed. Now the bad news for you, overall Calgary is planning on spending $1.5 billion total on the arena and a BMO centre expansion, a fieldhouse and upgrade to the art commons. OUCH!!!!! calgary.ctvnews.ca/council-approves-funding-structure-for-1-5-billion-in-long-term-projects-including-event-centre-1.4321425
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Post by ekjet72 on Apr 24, 2019 9:44:38 GMT -6
Yeah all that is $4.5B in 2019 dollars. Who knows what that will inflate to.
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Post by mikecubs on May 14, 2019 0:32:54 GMT -6
Web portal launched by Seattle’s NHL team lets fans weigh in on name, uniform colors and even their goal celebration soundsA long-awaited interactive “fan portal” launched Thursday morning by NHL Seattle asks plenty of questions and provides at least some answers on things such as ticket pricing, seating and — yes — the incoming team’s name.
In all three cases, fall appears to be the key. A FAQ section within the portal (a link was sent via email to the 33,000 fans that made season-ticket deposits or others with their names on an extended waiting list) states “Fall 2019’’ as the date when ticket prices will be released, seating charts will be available and either Totems, Sockeyes, Steelheads, Kraken or none of the above will be announced as the team’s name.On the naming thing — seemingly the most popular question local fans have — the website FAQ does hedge somewhat with the word “potentially’’ ahead of the Fall 2019 date, though the team adds, “We can’t wait either.’’ A poll section within the portal asks fans the type of team name they prefer and provides a choice of mythical creatures, sea animals, historical references and “Anything that Eats Canucks.” There’s also a comment section where fans can suggest a name. NHL Seattle president and CEO Tod Leiweke has long said the team will consult with fans on the name. And when the portal idea was revealed in January, he said fans will be able to use it to deliver opinions on the name and a variety of other issues before the team’s planned October 2021 launch. “We’re going to have them weigh in on all sorts of things,” Leiweke said at the time. “If I have my way, their fingerprints are going to be all over this franchise. Certainly team name, but they’re going to help us build this up.” It was announced on the portal that Leiweke plans to do a live “Ask Me Anything” with fans on Facebook on May 31 at 11:30 a.m. Another poll within the portal asks about preferred arena music and offers a choice of organ player, DJ, live band and all of the above. For a poll on uniform colors, the choices are green and blue, green and something else, blue and something else or anything but green and blue. Additional polls ask about how fans plan to travel to games at KeyArena, their preferred arena food, what they’ll wear to games and even what the goal celebration sound inside the arena should be. The portal also contains a timeline of past and future key events involving the club and a section that will regularly spotlight some of the season-ticket depositors. www.seattletimes.com/sports/hockey/web-portal-lauched-by-seattles-nhl-team-lets-fans-weigh-in-on-name-uniform-colors-and-even-their-goal-celebration-sounds/
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Post by mikecubs on Aug 23, 2019 11:58:24 GMT -6
Seattle expansion team could announce nickname ‘around All-Star Game’We’re still two years away from seeing the NHL’s 32nd team hit the ice for the first time, but we may at least know what to call them just a few months from now. In a Facebook Live AMA on Thursday, team CEO Tod Leiweke said (via NHL.com) that the organization was working away at deciding its identity and that an announcement would come some time early this season. “I think it’ll be the first quarter of next year, perhaps around the All-Star Game, when there’s a reveal,” Leiweke said. It was originally expected the team would start play in the 2020-21 season, but that was pushed back a year. Leiweke noted that had they been under pressure to name the team earlier, they would have been able to do so. Earlier this week another expansion team out of Seattle — for the XFL — announced its own new nickname would be the Dragons. As fans inside the city await what their NHL team will be called, Leiweke said the Dragons’ announcement won’t influence their decision or rush them into making one. “I don’t think we look at anything outside of what we’re doing,” Leiweke said. “And really the answers are all from within. Brands become strong not by names of teams, but by sort of an inner strength and understanding the true essence of who we are. And we’ve added people, we’ve added strength to this organization. Ron Francis has been a great add, and I think we’re on the trail to really nailing [the name].” Francis was hired as the team’s first GM in July, a little more than a year after his contract with the Carolina Hurricanes was terminated. Leiweke said there wouldn’t be a public vote to decide the team’s name, though they were considering input from the fans. The CEO cited a Seattle Times bracket-style tournament from last year, in which readers nominated and then voted on their preferred nicknames, and that the team documented each of the 1,000 submissions for consideration. Among the most popular in the polls were Metropolitans, Steelheads, Kraken, Sasquatch, Freeze and Emeralds, but Sockeyes defeated Totems in the newspaper’s tournament last October. www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/seattle-expansion-team-announce-nickname-around-star-game/
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 4, 2019 21:15:54 GMT -6
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Post by mikecubs on Jan 1, 2020 18:00:23 GMT -6
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Post by mikecubs on Jan 21, 2020 0:19:40 GMT -6
Seattle NHL Arena to Feature Alaska Airlines Atriumby Zach Spedden on January 17, 2020 in Hockey, NHL Alaska Airlines Atrium Seattle NHL Arena Alaska Airlines will have a major presence at the Seattle NHL arena, signing on as the sponsor of the Alaska Airlines Atrium. The upcoming Seattle NHL expansion team continues to prepare for its 2021-22 launch, with construction work at the old KeyArena part of that process. A $930 million construction project led and financed by Oak View Group is notable in its scope, calling for leaving KeyArena’s distinguished roof line intact, while digging 15 feet below the floor and widening the base of the venue. This will result in more interior space and modern facilities under the original roof. One of the major amenities of the arena has come into focus with the announcement of a partnership with Alaska Airlines. As part of a broader sponsorship package, the airline has landed naming rights to a 36,000-square-foot glass atrium entryway, making the space known as the Alaska Airlines Atrium. The partnership was announced on Thursday. While this agreement does not include naming rights to the arena itself, it should give Alaska Airlines a major presence at the venue. More from the Seattle Times: “We don’t put our name on the entire arena,’’ said Natalie Bowman, the airline’s managing director of marketing and advertising. “But by putting it on the front door and putting it in the lobby of the venue — we hope that it becomes the meeting place for everyone who’s going to attend the 300-plus events. So, ‘Meet me in the Alaska Airlines atrium’ is the vernacular that we’re hoping to create within the community.’’ Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Talks are still underway that could see Alaska assume responsibility for flying NHL Seattle players back and forth between here and the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Palm Springs, Calif. Alaska currently has a direct route between Palm Springs and Paine Field. “With their training facility being up north (at Northgate Mall), we have the direct flight between Paine Field and Palm Springs,’’ Bowman said. “And so we’re viewing that as, when they call someone up from the minors we can get them to the practice facility and get them on the ice before they play in the game.’’ The Alaska Airlines Atrium is perhaps the most prominent piece of a larger partnership that includes multiple elements. Through the agreement, Alaska Airlines is a Founding Partner of NHL Seattle, the arena, and the team’s Northgate Ice Centre. Alaska Airlines Atrium Seattle NHL Arena At this point, the arena is expected to be completed in the summer of 2021. Once it is completed, it will become the home of the NHL franchise and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, while hosting concerts and other events. It is also being designed to accommodate an NBA franchise, making it a potential home should Seattle eventually be able to secure its first team in the league since the Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. arenadigest.com/2020/01/17/seattle-nhl-arena-to-feature-alaska-airlines-atrium/
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Post by mikecubs on Jan 24, 2020 8:22:47 GMT -6
New Arena at Seattle Center an 'engineering marvel' The Arena roof is supported fully by temporary steel supports, and the excavation nearly completeQuite simply, it is an engineering marvel once only dreamed about during the Seattle World’s Fair that first occupied the land, and it may never be tried again. In fact, it is a project which sounds like a Mad Lib: Prop up a 44-million pound roof so a bunch of construction workers can excavate tens of thousands of yards of dirt and build a new Arena interior. Yet, for the past several months a team of hundreds has done just that. On Tuesday, Mortenson Construction and the Oak View Group opened up the old KeyArena site for a brief tour to show off the status of the nearly billion-dollar new Arena project. Gone are the entrances and exits on both sides of the old KeyArena, which now are hanging in midair. Crews have dug down and removed the dirt. The old parking area on the south side of the building is gone, as is the skate park on the southeast side. Crews have removed nearly 75% of the needed dirt to build a new bowl 53 feet below ground, doubling the size of the old Arena. In order to accomplish all, Mortenson also had to build out 72 temporary steel columns to support the roof, and a steel reinforcement structure called ‘the kickstand." On top of that, the suspended roof also had sensors in it designed to detect high wind and seismic activity.
“It is the result of thousands of hours of engineering,” said Greg Huber, Mortenson’s Project Executive. “There hasn’t been anything quite like this.”The dirt is all being trucked to areas in South King County, for a planned master development, and for the expansion of Highway 167. It’s expected that the site will be fully excavated by February. Huber added, “We’re also going to be looking at pouring our first footing this week.” Eventually, according to plan, those support columns will be removed and the roof will be reattached. There is also going to be a tunnel under Thomas Street to allow for trucks to enter the loading dock. That tunnel is already starting to take shape. It’s no wonder that the National Hockey League gave the group an extra year to finish the privately financed project, and as of today, it is still on track for a mid-2021 opening. Seattle's new NHL team - still nameless - will begin play later that year, and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm will be a principal tenant as well. And they’ll be doing it in a building once thought, not possible. www.king5.com/article/news/newarenanengineeringmarvel/281-3c4bcf2d-fbc9-4c4a-80fa-726fc3325427
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Post by mikecubs on Jan 24, 2020 8:25:43 GMT -6
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Post by ekjet72 on Jan 24, 2020 13:54:08 GMT -6
New Arena at Seattle Center an 'engineering marvel' The Arena roof is supported fully by temporary steel supports, and the excavation nearly completeQuite simply, it is an engineering marvel once only dreamed about during the Seattle World’s Fair that first occupied the land, and it may never be tried again. In fact, it is a project which sounds like a Mad Lib: Prop up a 44-million pound roof so a bunch of construction workers can excavate tens of thousands of yards of dirt and build a new Arena interior. Yet, for the past several months a team of hundreds has done just that. On Tuesday, Mortenson Construction and the Oak View Group opened up the old KeyArena site for a brief tour to show off the status of the nearly billion-dollar new Arena project. Gone are the entrances and exits on both sides of the old KeyArena, which now are hanging in midair. Crews have dug down and removed the dirt. The old parking area on the south side of the building is gone, as is the skate park on the southeast side. Crews have removed nearly 75% of the needed dirt to build a new bowl 53 feet below ground, doubling the size of the old Arena. In order to accompliCrap all, Mortenson also had to build out 72 temporary steel columns to support the roof, and a steel reinforcement structure called ‘the kickstand." On top of that, the suspended roof also had sensors in it designed to detect high wind and seismic activity.
“It is the result of thousands of hours of engineering,” said Greg Huber, Mortenson’s Project Executive. “There hasn’t been anything quite like this.”The dirt is all being trucked to areas in South King County, for a planned master development, and for the expansion of Highway 167. It’s expected that the site will be fully excavated by February. Huber added, “We’re also going to be looking at pouring our first footing this week.” Eventually, according to plan, those support columns will be removed and the roof will be reattached. There is also going to be a tunnel under Thomas Street to allow for trucks to enter the loading dock. That tunnel is already starting to take shape. It’s no wonder that the National Hockey League gave the group an extra year to finish the privately financed project, and as of today, it is still on track for a mid-2021 opening. Seattle's new NHL team - still nameless - will begin play later that year, and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm will be a principal tenant as well. And they’ll be doing it in a building once thought, not possible. www.king5.com/article/news/newarenanengineeringmarvel/281-3c4bcf2d-fbc9-4c4a-80fa-726fc3325427 I like the privately financed part. One Billion and counting. I see they were mandated to do seismic work as well. The engineering to retrofit the roof and accommodate a 20K person arena under it, must have been a thrill for the guy(s) who did it. Hopefully it works.
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Post by mikecubs on Jan 24, 2020 22:51:02 GMT -6
New Arena at Seattle Center an 'engineering marvel' The Arena roof is supported fully by temporary steel supports, and the excavation nearly completeQuite simply, it is an engineering marvel once only dreamed about during the Seattle World’s Fair that first occupied the land, and it may never be tried again. In fact, it is a project which sounds like a Mad Lib: Prop up a 44-million pound roof so a bunch of construction workers can excavate tens of thousands of yards of dirt and build a new Arena interior. Yet, for the past several months a team of hundreds has done just that. On Tuesday, Mortenson Construction and the Oak View Group opened up the old KeyArena site for a brief tour to show off the status of the nearly billion-dollar new Arena project. Gone are the entrances and exits on both sides of the old KeyArena, which now are hanging in midair. Crews have dug down and removed the dirt. The old parking area on the south side of the building is gone, as is the skate park on the southeast side. Crews have removed nearly 75% of the needed dirt to build a new bowl 53 feet below ground, doubling the size of the old Arena. In order to accompliCrap all, Mortenson also had to build out 72 temporary steel columns to support the roof, and a steel reinforcement structure called ‘the kickstand." On top of that, the suspended roof also had sensors in it designed to detect high wind and seismic activity.
“It is the result of thousands of hours of engineering,” said Greg Huber, Mortenson’s Project Executive. “There hasn’t been anything quite like this.”The dirt is all being trucked to areas in South King County, for a planned master development, and for the expansion of Highway 167. It’s expected that the site will be fully excavated by February. Huber added, “We’re also going to be looking at pouring our first footing this week.” Eventually, according to plan, those support columns will be removed and the roof will be reattached. There is also going to be a tunnel under Thomas Street to allow for trucks to enter the loading dock. That tunnel is already starting to take shape. It’s no wonder that the National Hockey League gave the group an extra year to finish the privately financed project, and as of today, it is still on track for a mid-2021 opening. Seattle's new NHL team - still nameless - will begin play later that year, and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm will be a principal tenant as well. And they’ll be doing it in a building once thought, not possible. www.king5.com/article/news/newarenanengineeringmarvel/281-3c4bcf2d-fbc9-4c4a-80fa-726fc3325427 I like the privately financed part. One Billion and counting. I see they were mandated to do seismic work as well. The engineering to retrofit the roof and accommodate a 20K person arena under it, must have been a thrill for the guy(s) who did it. Hopefully it works. Seattle can do a private financing thing because of the cities size and wealth along with the eventual return of the Seattle Supersonics. The engineering will work. These guys know what they are doing. According to Brian Robinson the head of save our sonics this technology to do this type of thing only became available a few years ago. The traffic issue is another matter. SODO was a better spot for the arena but Chris Hansen was a bumbiling idiot who couldn't get it done.
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Post by mikecubs on Jan 24, 2020 23:04:22 GMT -6
Mostly off topic but... Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets who is out for the season with an achilllies tear is the last Seattle Supersonic left in the NBA. He played his rookie 2007-08 season in Seattle before the team moved to Oklahoma City. Jeff Green who is also a former Sonic was released by the Utah Jazz last month though there are rumors teams like Philadelphia may eventually bring him in.
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